(阿摩司書 Amos 3:1-15) 傳禍音 PREACHING BAD NEWS

傳禍音  PREACHING BAD NEWS (阿摩司書 Amos 3:1-15)

祈禱:  求神開我心竅, 聽到和感受到神要我傳講的心意。

PRAYER:  May God open my heart so I can distinctively hear and feel what God wants me to preach.

讀經:  摩三章1~15節

SCRIPTURE READING:  Amos 3:1-15

釋義:  保羅說: 「我傳福音原沒有可誇的，因為我是不得已的。若不傳福音，我便有禍了。我若甘心做這事，就有賞賜；若不甘心，責任卻已經託付我了。」(林前九16~17)這是基督徒傳福音的一個原因。

INSIGHT:  Paul said:  ^“For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!   If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.”  (1 Corinthians 9:16-17)  This is one of the reasons why Christians preach the Gospel.

不過阿摩司雖絕對贊同這個使命、但將「福音」改為「禍音」。阿摩司傳講的信息是: 「耶和華攻擊你們」(1)、「必追討你們的一切罪孽」(2)、「災禍若臨到」(6)、「敵人必來圍攻這地，使你的勢力衰微，搶掠你的家宅」(11)、「壇角必被砍下」(14)、「房屋也必毀滅」(15)。唯一的「福音」只是:「牧人怎樣從獅子口中搶回兩條羊腿或半個耳朵，住撒馬利亞的以色列人躺臥在角上或鋪繡花毯的榻上，他們得救也不過如此。」(12)

However, although Amos absolutely agrees with this mission, he changed “good news” into “bad news”.  The message that Amos preached was:  “The Lord has spoken against you” (v. 1),  “I will punish you for all your sins” (V. 2),  “disaster comes” (v.6),  “an enemy will overrun your land, pull down your strongholds and plunder your fortresses” (v. 11), “the horns of the altar will be cut off” (v. 14), “the houses will be destroyed” (v. 15).  The only “good news” was:  “As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s mouth only two leg bones or a piece of an ear; so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued, with only the head of the bed and a piece of fabric from a couch.” (v. 12)

既然如此, 阿摩司為什麼要傳禍音? 其原因就和保羅要傳福音一樣: 「是不得已的」、「若不甘心，責任卻已經託付我了」。阿摩司說:「主耶和華若不將奧秘指示他的僕人─眾先知，就一無所行。獅子吼叫，誰不懼怕呢？主耶和華發命，誰能不說預言呢？」(7~8)

Why did Amos preach bad news?  The reason is the same as Paul’s preaching the good news of the Gospel:  “I am compelled to preach, “ “If not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.”  Amos said:   “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.  The Sovereign Lord has spoken—who can but prophesy?  The lion has roared—who will not hear?” (vs. 7-8)

但是, 為什麼耶和華會像獅子般吼叫呢? 正如阿摩司說: 「獅子若非抓食，豈能在林中咆哮呢？」(4)飢餓使獅子吼叫, 耶和華乃因傷心和憤怒而發聲: 「以色列人哪，你們全家是我從埃及地領上來的，當聽耶和華攻擊你們的話：在地上萬族中，我只認識你們；因此，我必追討你們的一切罪孽。二人若不同心，豈能同行呢？」(1~3)若配偶變心,難免產生憤恨。

But why does the Lord roar like a lion?  As Amos said:  “Does a lion roar in the thicket when it has no prey? (v. 4)  Hunger makes the lion roar; thus, the Lord voices out of His grief and anger:  “Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:  ‘You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins.’  Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” (v. 1-3)  If a spouse changes his/her heart and is unfaithful, a feeling of resentment is inevitable.

我們傳神愛世人的福音, 多少時候有點像保羅所說, 是出於使命感。福音一旦傳出, 責任已盡, 如釋重負, 我們就只等著看聽福音者的反應了。但約翰卻給我們指出愛世人的神的心情, 如果神的愛被拒絕, 祂是多麼激憤: 「神愛世人，甚至將他的獨生子賜給他們，叫一切信他的，不至滅亡，反得永生。因為神差他的兒子降世，不是要定世人的罪，乃是要叫世人因他得救。信他的人，不被定罪；不信的人，罪巳經定了，因為他不信神獨生子的名……信子的人有永生；不信子的人得不著永生，神的震怒常在他身上。」(約三16~18,36)下次當你傳福音時,可否設身處地, 想想神的感受。

Often, when we preach the good news of God’s love for the people of this world, it comes from a sense of mission as Paul mentioned.  Once the good news of the Gospel is preached, and we have done all we can from our part, we just wait for the reaction of the listener.   But Paul points out the frame of mind of a God who loves the people of this world; if God’s love is rejected, He will be very angry:  ^“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.   Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son…Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” (John 3:16-18, 36)  Next time you preach the good news of the Gospel, put yourself in God’s position and think about how He would feel.

by 洪同勉牧師 Rev. Tommy Hung